Monthly Archives: September 2012

Four Ways to Effectively Lower Your Utility Bills

All it takes is a little change to see a lot of improvement. And today, we’re talking about an improvement in two ways – on your energy use and on your expenses. Using the following four tips, you can save thousands of unnecessary costs each year that would otherwise add up very quickly.

Furnace Check Up and Tune Up

One of the most underestimated maintenance items that many people fail to address is a furnace tune up. When you compare how much it costs to have a tune up done on your heating and cooling unit, with the amount of savings you end up enjoying – it becomes a very worthwhile expense to take on. Not only does your furnace operate much more efficiently, contributing to a better cooled (or heated) home, but also the energy efficiency factors in as much as 25% savings on your utility bills. A typical furnace tune up costs a fraction of the savings that consumers end up with by the end of the year.

Replace Air Filters Regularly

Even though homeowners seem to have less and less time for upkeep of their homes, there are some things that are essential to take care of in order for optimal energy efficiency and cost savings. If neglected, homeowners can reduce as much as 25% efficiency of their heating and cooling system by ignoring one very important aspect of caring for their system. Replacing air filters is a simple task that takes only minutes, and by doing this once each month, you can and will save a lot of potential costs in both energy savings and inevitable furnace repairs.

Steady Thermostat Settings

Whether addressing the inside temperature of your home in the dead of winter or working to keep the cool in during hot summers, it is essential to maintain your thermostat at a steady level to optimize its operation. Rather than constantly adjusting temperatures up and down, it works better to set your thermostat at a comfortable yet not extreme level. The savings add up to as much as a thousand dollars a year or more, depending on the size of your house.

Seasonal Weatherproofing

Many people fail to recognize just how strong the sun’s power is in terms of inside temperatures. Depending on the direction your house faces, keeping windows and blinds closed during the day will reduce a fair amount of sun exposure resulting in steadier temperatures and savings on your utility bills.

Have you checked your outdoor air conditioning unit lately? It’s easy to forget about if you don’t go outside a lot. And with the recent scorching weather, you probably haven’t been outside very much. Drought conditions, however, like the ones we’ve experienced across the country in the last few months, can cause serious problems. Mainly, when the ground is deprived of water, it shrinks. Not only will it pull away from the foundation, but it will sink lower as well. That’s where problems with your outdoor unit can start. Some homeowners noticed that the ground has sunken so far that the concrete pad the unit was sitting on no longer even had contact with the unit. That’s what happened to the air conditioner in the photo. Wooden blocks had to be inserted under the unit to support it. If you look at the paint on the foundation, you can see that the ground has dropped by several inches. Obviously, this is bad because it puts stress on other parts of the unit especially the line set coming out of the foundation of the home. With enough pressure, it could snap and break the Freon line.

Hopefully, your unit is fine, but it’s best to keep an eye on it in these severe drought conditions. Check to make sure your unit is level as well. The compressor and fan motors will wear out faster if the unit is not level. Also, making sure it is level ensures that the water will drain from it properly. If it is not level, you can use a wood or metal shim to level it until you can have a professional air conditioner repairman take a look at it.

Another way to make sure your system is running at peak efficiency is to make sure it is clean. Remove any plants or weeds that are too close and brush off any leaves, grass, or debris that has attached itself. You may also squirt it off with a garden hose to remove dust and dirt. Make sure you turn the unit off at the breaker before you wet it down. Squirt from the top down to make sure the dirt flows away.

Of course, if you don’t want to hassle with checking and cleaning it yourself, you can always call us for a tune-up. We recommend having annual tune-ups on both your furnace and air conditioner to make sure they are running at top efficiency, which not only prolongs the life of the unit, but saves you on energy bills as well. Call us today for a G-Force Precision Tune-up.